After nearly a century of political infighting and delay, the Smithsonian Institution on Monday selected a prominent space on the Mall near the Washington Monument as the site of its National Museum of African-American History and Culture.

In September 2004 the National Museum of the American Indian opened to much fanfare and high visibility in its site on the eastern edge of the Mall near the Capitol.

Some groups responded to the announcement on Monday with disappointment, arguing that the project would clutter the Mall, the grassy expanse stretching from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol.

Smithsonian officials said the vote on the site was not unanimous but would not give details. Officials said they hoped to open the new museum within the next decade.

“My first task for tomorrow is to stop smiling,” said Lonnie G. Bunch, director of the museum.

The New York Times; January 31, 2006

Posted in News & Events on January, 2006